Echoes of Betrayal by Elizabeth Moon Page A

meeting,” Kieri said around a mouthful of the hot-pot. Chunks of ham and venison mingled with redroots, onions, mushrooms … it was almost gone before he realized he hadn’t stopped eating to answer her fears. “I was hungrier than I thought,” he said. Instead of stuffed and sleepy, he now felt wider awake. He eyed the apple dessert and the jug of cream, then looked at Arian and grinned. “There are two spoons,” he said.
    “Indeed there are, sir king, in case you drop one.” Her mouth quirked; the indecision and worry of a few minutes earlier had vanished.
    “I know you like apples.”
    “Yes … and if that is an invitation, then I accept.”
    Eating from the same dish, across the table from each other, reminded him so of those private meals with Tammarion … his eyesstung, and he looked up to find Arian with an expression even more like Tamar’s. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
    “No,” he said. “Nothing. It is … a homecoming.” He swallowed that bite of the dessert and said, “And now for the second thing.”
    “I am listening.”
    “Remember what I said when you arrived with the elves: when we are alone, I am not ‘sir king’ to you but ‘Kieri.’ If you wish to continue as King’s Squire until we wed—”
    “I do, of course,” Arian said. “And after, as well.”
    “Well, not after. You will have Queen’s Squires of your own then.”
    “But I want to be with you—”
    “Of course, and you will be. But not guarding me. You will be my queen, worthy of your own protection.” Now she looked troubled; Kieri put his hand on hers. “Arian, what bothers you about that? You will still go armed, as I do; if it’s about keeping your sword—”
    “Not that, sir … Kieri. It’s … what I was saying before. I know how to be a ranger or a King’s Squire. I don’t know how to be a queen. It’s so different.”
    “Are you sure this is not a fear the Lady put into you, Arian? Or is it about … having children?”
    “No, not that. I promise. And it’s not you, anything about you. I want to be with you, at your side. It’s my own ignorance. I don’t have any idea what a queen does—your sister, I imagine, did what you do, but a king’s wife … what would I
do
? I asked Sier Halveric while you were gone, and he said queens are more decorative than anything else—I should wear the right clothes and be gracious to people. It sounds like standing around smiling all the time.”
    “He’s wrong,” Kieri said. “Some queens have been like that—in Tsaia, anyway, and Torfinn of Pargun seemed to think of his queen as a housewife in fancy clothes—but we can make our own rules. I can’t imagine you doing nothing but that. I’d rather have you as co-ruler than the Lady, if that were possible. Your good sense, your courage, your warm heart, your taig-sense: all fit you for being Lyonya’s queen. The rest is … is all surface and things you can learn with more experience. You say you haven’t traveled much—well, as a queen, you can. You can be my ambassador where rank is needed, as Elis is Torfinn’s.”
    “But she grew up a princess—”
    “And I did
not
grow up a prince.” That, he could see, startled her. “Arian. Trust me in this: you have everything it takes to be a queen but the experience, and you will get the experience by being a queen. You will make mistakes—I have made mistakes, this past year, as a king.”
    “No—”
    “Yes. I should have sent my own couriers to Torfinn and Ganlin’s father, asked them before I sent those girls to Falk’s Hall—”
    “Elis and Ganlin wouldn’t think so.”
    “Maybe … but it nearly got me killed, and may have gotten Torfinn’s wife and children killed, when the war started. I have made many mistakes in my life, Arian, and you will make some as queen, but that is not important—what is important is your willingness to take the chance.” He thought a moment. What story would help her and not